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I love smoked ribs or BBQ ribs, it’s just always a Caveman staple, but they can be a little work, especially if you want them to turn out tender and fall off the bone. I got a little lazy last weekend, we were out at a local street fair and when I got home I just didn’t feel like putting in the work so I decided to braise the ribs, kind of a set it and forget it, for those of you who know what I am talking about. It’s a great way to really get those ribs tender and impose some flavors into them.

Braising alone just wouldn’t cut it for this caveman, I still had to fire up the grill so after they were braised I slathered on a BBQ sauce and gave them a nice crust before serving them. I all this my lazy ribs.

Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce: Combine all the ingredients in to a small sauce pan and then heat under low until warm and well blended. Give it a taste and if it’s what you are looking for let it sit until you are ready.

Cook

I like to use those disposable aluminum pans for this part of it, easy to use and no cleaning involved. If you have a braising pan more power to you.

Preheat your oven to 350°F

Remove the silverskin from the ribs, this is important so that the flavors can penetrate the meat and reduce the chances of it being tough. To see how check out my blog on Memphis ribs

Combine all the braising ingredients in a pan with the ribs and cover them. Put them in the oven and let them cook for about 3-4 hours.

Caveman Tip*** If you let them go too long in the oven they will just shred as you pull them from the pan and you will not be able to put them on the grill for that great BBQ flavor.

Preheat your grill: I like to turn all the burners on high and get that grill smoking hot. You want to crisp up the outside not cook the ribs.

Caveman Tip*** You can obtain that same crust on the outside of the ribs by using your broiler if you don’t want to use the BBQ.

Check the ribs, they should be nice and tender but not disintegrate when you pull them from the pan. At this point you will want to let them slightly cool on the outside so you can handle them. Pat them dry with a paper towel and then liberally coat them with the BBQ sauce.

Once your BBQ is good and hot, put them on the grill for a minute or two per side until you get that caramelization from the BBQ sauce and you are ready to go.

This week the cavewoman is out of town for work so looks like I am cooking for one this week. Usually this means I tend to be less healthy since I am only cooking for myself but now that the holidays are over we are trying to cut back and drop some of winter weight. With the healthy frame of mind, for tonight at least, I thought about a quick and easy BBQ pork chop dish with a bitter green salad and asparagus. It turned out pretty well the sweetness from the pork balanced well with the bitter greens, and I was able to use pull double duty on the pork marinade as a salad dressing. For other recipes like this visit www.cookingwithcaveman.com

What you will need:

2 Center Cut Pork Chops

1 Cup Italian dressing (recipe below or use store bought)

2 Cups BBQ sauce (recipe below or use store bought)

Salt and Pepper

Pork Marinade

1 Cup red wine vinegar

1 Cup of olive oil

½ tbls. garlic powder

½ tbls. onion powder

½ tbls. honey or white sugar

1 tbls. dried oregano

½ tbls. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. dried basil

½ tsp. dried parsley

1 tablespoons salt

Quick BBQ Sauce

1 cup ketchup

¼ cup cider vinegar

2 tbls. Molasses

1 tbls. Yellow mustard

1 tbls. Chicken broth

½ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp black pepper

2 tbls. Sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce)

Prep

BBQ Sauce: Combine all the ingredients into a small sauce pan and heat on low for 5-10 minutes until the ingredients are well blended. Let it cool until you are ready to use.

Pork Marinade (Italian Dressing): Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Use half for the marinade and reserve the other half for the salad by covering well and storing in the fridge.

Caveman Tip*** `While you are prepping dinner and getting things ready or just puttering around the house doing chores just drop the pork in a zip lock back with the marinade and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to cook, I like to let it go 45 to 60 minutes

Preheat your grill: First make sure you clean the grates and then oil so that the chops will not stick. Turn your grill up to full temp, close the lid and let it get hot for about 10 minutes.

While your grill is getting hot pull the pork out of the marinade and pat it dry. Now liberally coat it with the BBQ sauce and let it sit until your grill is ready.

When you grill is good and hot, the temp gage should read 700 degrees or better, place your pork on the grill directly over the heat source. Close the lid and let the pork site for 2 minutes and then turn them 90 degrees and close the lid again. This should leave those great grill marks you are looking for. After 2 more minutes flip the chops over close the lid and let them sit on the grill for 2 minutes. After the two minutes is up rotate them 90 degrees and close the lid. You will want them to sit another (you guessed it) 2 minutes.

At this point you will want to temp your chops depending on the thickness they may be done. You are looking for 145 degrees. If they are ready pull them and let them rest, if not put them on the top rack and turn your burners to low. You will continue to cook until you reach 145 degrees, it should not take long.

Let the chops rest for 5 minutes or so and serve them with your favorite sides. I just so happened to make a bitter salad and asparagus.